About Fraunhofer

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, headquartered in Germany, is one of the world’s leading organizations for applied research. It plays a major role in innovation by prioritizing research on cutting-edge technologies and the transfer of results to industry to strengthen Germany’s industrial base and for the benefit of society as a whole. Since its founding as a nonprofit organization in 1949, Fraunhofer has held a unique position in the German research and innovation ecosystem.

With nearly 32,000 employees across 75 institutes and legally independent research units in Germany, Fraunhofer operates with an annual budget of €3.6 billion, €3.1 billion of which is generated by contract research — Fraunhofer’s core business model. Unlike other public research organizations, base funding from the German federal and state governments is merely the foundation for the annual research budget. This serves as the basis for groundbreaking precompetitive research that will become important for the private sector and society in the years ahead. Fraunhofer’s distinctive feature is its large share of industry revenue, guaranteeing close collaboration with the private sector and industry, and the consistent focus of Fraunhofer’s research on the market. In 2024, industry revenue accounted for €867 million of its budget. Fraunhofer’s research portfolio is augmented by competitively acquired public-sector funding, pursuing the right balance between public-sector and industry revenue.

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Ideas and innovations, drive and inventiveness, are more important than ever. Government, industry and society are facing major challenges and changes: from geopolitical conflicts and demographic change through to economic turmoil and the climate and energy crises.

But these challenges also open up new opportunities to shape our future with skills and expertise − so that we can find answers to the central questions of our time and emerge stronger from these crises.

For 75 years, Fraunhofer has worked hand in hand with partners from industry, research and the public sector to put innovations into practice. That’s because knowledge transfer is the backbone of our innovation system.

Since Fraunhofer was founded in 1949, our mission has been to act as supporter, guide and driving force for industry. The proven Fraunhofer model provides the basis for this transformation process and is our reliable compass for successful, market-driven transfer.

We take responsibility for a future worth living in by taking economically, ecologically and socially sustainable actions − and upholding the principle of diversity. In this way, we contribute to a strong society that is economically and politically sovereign.